


better things

by higgsburied



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: M/M, Non-Despair AU, everyone goes home for the weekend or something like that, i have no idea how long this is gonna wind up being but, mostly Daiya's POV
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2018-11-02 07:53:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10940208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/higgsburied/pseuds/higgsburied
Summary: Daiya knows there's something weird going on with his brother. And with that weird kid that keeps showing up at his shop.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from the Passion Pit song ["Better Things"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFmNIb9NSII&index=26&list=PLy3Go6EcTXisLhUnsisInyfuPI_UZmft5) because I couldn't think of a better title.

_If I can just hold out until 7:15, I can go home early._ Daiya leans against the counter with his chin in his palm, staring at the clock on the wall. He’s got other things that he needs to do – like go home and make dinner for himself and his brother. If this asshole can’t be bothered to be on time for his appointment, then he must not want a tattoo very badly.

The chime of the shop bells makes him look back down, ready to smile and pretend like he gives a shit.

Except it’s not his client that’s walked through the door. It’s some high school kid – the same kid who’s shown up around the same time for the past three days, flipping through the art books with a look of absolute terror on his face.

Daiya can’t figure out what he’s doing here. He’s clearly not old enough to get a tattoo or piercing (at least, not without parent permission, and he always comes in alone) or even remotely ready to get one. But he’s here every evening at 7:10 sharp, waving awkwardly before staring intently at the books of previous works.

He’s got a little time to kill before he can call his appointment a no-show, so he might as well see if he can get this kid to talk a bit.

“You finding everythin’ okay?” he asks.

The kid jumps a little, almost knocking the books over. “Fine!” he shouts. “I’m fine!”

Daiya almost snorts. It’s the same kind of reaction his brother gives him when he gets caught doing something he shouldn’t. “You’ve been in here a couple times now,” he says, moving around the counter. “You decided what you wanted yet?”

The look on his face is priceless. “I – I am afraid I have not come to a conclusion yet,” he says, arms straight and stiff by his sides.

“Well, are you looking to get a tattoo, or a piercing?”

“Uh – ah – uhm,” his eyes flicker to look at anything other than Daiya. “A- I suppose, uhm –“

“Hey Daiya, your next client’s here.”

 _Shit._ Daiya turns his attention to the clock on the wall. 7:14 – just one minute later and he could have gotten out of here. “Yeah, yeah, just a –“ The bell chimes again, and Daiya turns his attention back to find the damn kid has run out the door.

He sighs. If he’s lucky, he’ll be back tomorrow too, and he can get a better reaction out of him then.

For now, he turns his client. “You’re fuckin’ late, man. That’s pretty damn rude. Now go get in the chair.”

* * *

By the time he gets done with his appointment, it’s almost ten at night, and he’s lost all the energy to cook. He trudges up the stairs to the apartment he shares with his brother, keys in one hand and takeout in the other. He hopes to god his brother’s actually been working on his homework, but he knows it isn’t especially likely.

The lock clicks and the door swings up. “Hey man, I’m home.”

As he expected, Mondo is crashed on the couch, looking at TV, bored. He looks up when Daiya enters, throwing his feet off the edge. “Fuckin’ finally. Where you been, man?”

“Having tea with the Queen of England. What do you think, man? I had an appointment run over.” Daiya drops the bags of food on the counter and steps aside, letting Mondo go through it first. He’s been getting more adamant about them eating at the table, and by now it’s not something he even needs to fight over. It makes them feel more like a normal family, doing this.

That, and their nightly routine.

“How was school?” Daiya will ask.

“Fine,” Mondo will reply, barely looking from his food.

“Did you get your homework done?” He’ll ask next.

“Nah,” Mondo will reply.

“You gotta do that before you go to bed,” he warns.

“Sure,” Mondo promises.

Occasionally he remembers other things, like to ask how his friends are doing or to remind him to take a shower before he falls asleep. Usually, he’s just too damn tired. But tonight, he’s got another question on his mind.

“Hey Mondo, you got any kinda awkward nerdy guys in your class?”

Mondo stops in his chewing and stares, mouth a little ajar. It’s a little gross, but Daiya doesn’t have time to tell him to close his mouth before he responds with “Man, everyone in my class is kinda awkward and nerdy. Yer gonna have to be more specific than that.”

Daiya takes a moment to tap his fork against his plate, thinking. “Hm. Kinda stiff, always wearin’ some kinda white school uniform?”

His brother’s reaction is immediate. “Yeah, him,” he says, rolling his eyes. “I know that guy. He’s some kinda hall monitor or somethin’, I guess. What about him?”

 _Hall monitor? No wonder he looks so freaked out. But what’s he doing in a tattoo shop?_ “No reason,” Daiya lies. It might be weird, but he’s not about to rat the kid out – not until he knows what he’s doing there.

It surprises him that Mondo doesn’t press him on it, but when he looks up on his food he sees why: there’s guilt on his face. “What’s the look for? You ain’t been harassing this kid, right?”

“What? No!” he looks a little pissed at the suggestion. “I just… I think he’s in my group for this project…”

Daiya lowers his eyes at him. “ _What_ group project?”

* * *

Daiya can’t exactly be a good judge of the things going on in his brother’s life. Having four jobs leaves him with very little time to have decent talks with his brother. But he does know that Mondo’s hiding something, and it has to do with that hall monitor.

His brother’s temper isn’t always the best, so he’s willing to bet that his brother’s insistence that he doesn’t have a problem with this other kid isn’t entirely accurate.

He thinks about it while he’s waiting for 7:10 to crop up at the tattoo parlor. He’d bitched Mondo out for forgetting to meet up with his group and told him to give them all a call and make some shit up if he had to, and to not let it happen again.

Right on schedule, the bell on the door chimes, and the kid in the white school uniform comes in, waves nervously at the receptionist, and heads straight for the photo albums.

And now that he’s got a better idea of who this kid is, Daiya’s not gonna dick around anymore. He rounds the corner until he’s standing right next to him and asks, “Hey, kid, what are you doing here?”

He almost jumps again, his arms snapping against his sides. “I –“

“You’re too damn young to be getting a tattoo or a piercing,” Daiya interrupts. “And you don’t really look like the type anyhow. So, why don’t you tell me what you’re doin’ here?”

He seems to be struggling, eyes wavering.

Then, he just blurts it out. “I’m trying to impress a boy in my class.”

Daiya can say, in all honesty, that he wasn’t expecting that. “You’re tryin’a what?”

He looks away, cheeks turning bright red as he repeats, “I’m trying to impress a boy in my class.”

“Like. Get his attention?” Daiya clarifies.

“Y-yes,” he answers, still not meeting Daiya’s eyes.

Well. He’s sure as hell not judgmental, but… “Damn, kid. That’s a dumb idea.” He almost looks like he’s been struck. “I mean – piercings you can always take out, but they hurt like hell and are a commitment to take care of. And tattoos? They’re with you forever. Getting one just to get the attention of some cute guy in your class isn’t exactly the best idea I’m sure you’ve had.”

He squirms, his boot squeaking a little as they rub together. “N-no, maybe not…”

He looks so damn dejected, it’s almost cute. Daiya sighs and moves back toward the desk, shuffling through the top drawer until he finds one of his business cards. He holds it out, waiting for the kid to take it. “Look, man, if you wanna come back in a year or two and get something, lemme know. I’ll give you a discount.”

“Th-thank-“ The kid starts his sentence, and stops abruptly, looking flustered. “Uhm. O-Owada?”

“Yeah,” Daiya says.

He almost drops the card in his hand. “I have to go. Right now.”

Daiya watches as he practically runs out of the shop.


	2. Chapter 2

At the beginning of the semester, Daiya had told Mondo that he needed to “buckle down” and focus on his studies more. It was such a ridiculous, stereotypically parental thing to say that when Daiya had first said it, Mondo actually laughed, thinking he’d just been joking around. But when his expression only hardened, Mondo had pushed back in his seat with his arms crossed, chewing on the inside of his lip. “What’s goin’ on, Daiya?”

It had been embarrassing to admit, but Daiya was unwavering. “Your school tuition’s getting too expensive for me to cover anymore. If you wanna keep goin’ to Hope’s Peak, yer gonna need to get an academic scholarship.”

Mondo looked like he’d been punched in the gut. “What?” he’d spluttered. “I ain’t smart enough for that –“

“The hell you aren’t,” Daiya had responded, shouting. “And that shit ain’t just for smart kids, it’s for kids who work their asses off. And if you wanna keep where you’re at, you’re gonna become one of them.”

That had been the end of the argument. Daiya had stood up from the table and gone back to his room, slamming the door. _That_ part hadn’t been so authoritative – it was childish, the kind of thin their parents would have done if they’d bothered sticking around – but he was too damn exhausted to set a better example. And, he was pretty sure, the words weren’t going to sink in. Mondo was just going to keep doing whatever the hell he wanted, because he was sixteen and what sixteen year-old didn’t do that?

He’d been wrong.

* * *

Mondo wasn’t lying when he told Daiya he wasn’t harassing his classmate. He was, in fact, being tutored by him. And right now, he was about 20 minutes late, and Mondo was starting to get worried. Punctuality was something Taka had always stressed, with everyone in their class, so the fact that he was this late was filling Mondo’s head with horrible thoughts.

Why hadn’t he bothered getting his phone number? Was this payback for Mondo missing a session on their group project? No, no, he wasn’t that petty…

“Mondo!” He jumps at the sound of his name being called out, turning around to the source of the noise. Ishimaru was walking quickly toward him, looking – embarrassed?

“Christ, man, the hell were you?”

“I am – very sorry – got caught up in something,” he says. “Please forgive my horrible rudeness –“

“It’s fine, man,” Mondo says, waving his hand. “You just got me kinda worried, is all. Not like I got your number so I can call you.”

He looks surprised. “You – were worried about me?”

Shit, he should have known that’d be a weird thing to say. It’s not like they’d been friends for very long, it probably came across all wrong –

“Thank you.”

Mondo hadn’t even realized he’d been looking away, but he looks back now and Ishimaru is…crying. “What the fuck? Dude, are you okay?”

From what he can see, Taka’s face is a little red, but he makes an attempt to hide it behind his hands as he covers his wavering eyes. “Yes! Yes, I am fine. I was simply caught off-guard.”

“It’s cool, man,” Mondo assures him. “I shout when I get nervous.” He turns in the direction of the library, expecting Ishimaru to follow, but is held up by a small noise.

His classmate hasn’t followed him at all. He’s still pinned to the spot, hands finally moved away from his face until just his fist is covering his mouth. “I must…ask you something,” he says. Then his arms fall to his sides, formally, and he blurts out, “Are we friends?”

Coming from anybody else, it’d be a weird question Mondo would refuse to answer for the sake of embarrassment. But he remembers Ishimaru saying once, in a voice way too practiced to be casual, that he’s never managed to make friends, and the embarrassment doesn’t really matter as much. “Yeah, man, of course,” he responds, flashing him a smile and a thumbs up. It’s something he’s picked up from his brother, that he used to do all the time when he was younger and started feeling bad. It always cheered him up, then.

And it seems to work on Ishimaru, too, face bursting into a wide smile.

It only lasts for a few seconds, before his classmate composes himself into his usual strict manner. “Right! So, what do you need to work on today?” he asks, catching up with Mondo.

“Uh...everythin’,” he says lamely.

“Okay,” he says, brows furrowing. “But what is your top priority?”

Mondo thinks about it, rubbing the back of his head. “Well, math I think I can catch up on, I just keep losin’ my damn papers in my locker. But I keep gettin’ shit mixed up in history.”

“Ah!” Taka says, gesturing oddly with his arms. “Is it dates, or names?”

“Both,” he says, gritting his teeth. _It ain’t his fault, it ain’t his fault_. “I get the World War II shit pretty well, they’re always playin’ stuff about it on TV. It’s what comes after that I’m kinda lost on.”

He’s not entirely sure Taka’s even listening to him anymore, his eyes determined and focused on the library in front of him. Mondo’s not sure if it’s amusing, or intimidating. “Right!” he says. “I know exactly where to start!”

Just as Mondo had predicted, Ishimaru knows exactly where in the library to head to first. He follows him reluctantly, ignoring stares and repeating to himself that it isn’t Taka’s fault, or anyone else’s, that he’s failing his damn classes.

I just hope Daiya doesn’t get on my case if I’m late.

* * *

Daiya’s not surprised when the kid in the stiff white uniform doesn’t return, but he’s still concerned and more than a little pissed. Really, he’s gonna chew his brother out when he gets home, really rake him over the coals for pickin’ on some kid for being awkward and gay. Really, there’s no other reason for him to go running out of the shop like that.

But like usual, his last appointment of the day runs him over – some guy wanting an unnecessary touch up – and he gets home later than he wants to.

“Hey man, I’m home!” he calls, when he finally makes it.

Except the lights are all off, and there’s no sign of Mondo.

He’s not given a lot of time to search or panic. It’s only about ten minutes before the front door unlocks again and his brother comes in looking exhausted, hair drooping slightly.

The part of him that loves his brother and just wants him to take care of himself considers letting him off the hook, telling him to go get some rest and they’ll talk about school and finances in the morning. But the part of him that knows he’s gotta be a hardass is absolutely livid.

“Where the hell have you been, man?” he demands. “You been out riding?”

Despite how exhausted he seems, Mondo manages to rear around snap really quickly. “Get off my back, bro, I’ve been studying.”

“Like hell you have,” he snorts, hating how the words sound coming out of his mouth. “You been harassing that hall monitor kid again, haven’t you?”

“Fuck no,” he snaps again. “Taka and I are friends.”

There’s something weird about the way he says it, so Daiya keeps going. “ _Who?_ ”

“That kid in my class you keep askin’ me about, his name’s Kiyotaka Ishimaru –“

“Ishimaru?” There’s a name to inspire fear. “You been pushin’ around a _cop’s_ kid?”

“Like I told you,” his voice is starting to raise now. “I ain’t been doin’ shit to him. He’s actually –“

“How fuckin’ stupid are you?”

Daiya regrets the words the minute they come out of his mouth. It’s a horrible thing to say to his own brother, especially given it’s something he knows Mondo’s insecure about.

But – he’s not wrong, is he? Being a bully is stupid, it’s something that he’s told Mondo to cut out for as long as they can remember, taking his anger out on others.

For a second, he thinks his brother’s going to hit him.

Instead, Mondo clenches his jaw shut, and pushes past him, slamming his door shut as soon as he gets in his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I want to start off by apologizing in the event that this took a sort of weird route. It's been a while since I started this fic up, and I'd really like to continue it - especially since I've gotten back into Danganronpa really heavily, what with the third game coming out and all. 
> 
> Since I'm not really sure what was going on in my life when I first published this fic I figure I should go ahead and say that I'm not sure how you were referring to me if at all when I started writing this, but I've since come out as a trans guy and use he/him/his pronouns. 
> 
> I've also been having a lot of issues between school work and my home life being pretty bad - not something I'd really want to get into here, but if you could please boost this post on tumblr, I would really appreciate it.  
> http://transguynoriaki.tumblr.com/post/167104668681/transguynoriaki-please-please-please-if-anyone-in
> 
> As always, I look forward to hearing from you!


End file.
